DAILY- HOMILY

JULY 26, 2013
MEMORIAL, SAINTS JOACHIM AND ANNE
FRIDAY 16TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YR I

Ex 20:1-17 / Ps 19: 8. 9. 10. 11 / Mt 13:18-23

READINGS
Exodus 20:1-17
God spoke all these words. He said, "I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. –Do not have other gods before me. –Do not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God; for the sin of the fathers, when they rebel against me, I punish the sons, the grandsons and the great-grandsons; but I show steadfast love until the thousandth generation for those who love me and keep my commandments. –Do not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain for Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who takes his name in vain. –Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you will labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath for Yahweh your God. Do not work that day, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter nor your servants, men or women, nor your animals, nor the stranger who is staying with you. For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day he rested; that is why Yahweh has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. –Honor your father and your mother that you may have a long life in the land that Yahweh has given you. –Do not kill. –Do not commit adultery. –Do not steal. –Do not give false witness against your neighbor. –Do not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, or his servant, man or woman, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is his."

Matthew 13:18-23
Now listen to the parable of the sower. When a person hears the message of the Kingdom, but does not take it seriously, the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that fell along the footpath. The seed that fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the word, and accepts it at once with joy. But such a person has no roots, and endures only for a while. No sooner is he harassed or persecuted because of the word, than he gives up. The seed that fell among the thistles is the one who hears the word, but then the worries of this life and the love of money choke the word, and it does not bear fruit. As for the seed that fell on good soil, it is the one who hears the word and understands it; this seed bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more."

REFLECTION
The parable can be understood from the perspective of those who receive the word. Very often we look at the first group as those who are not interested at all and would balk at the idea. The second group is composed of those who are interested, but not too sure of their priorities. The third group includes those interested, but have many distractions and could not focus at all. The fourth and last group is made up of those who are ready and open to receive it, accept what is given them and then they make an effort to live it out.

However, let us look at the parable from the point of view of the sower. The sower's desire is for the word to be heard, accepted and allowed to grow and flourish. So he sows the seeds. He does not choose the place or the time of sowing. He gives it to each and every one. After sometime, he checks what he has sown and discovers the different stages of growth or death of the seeds. We could imagine the sower wondering what has happened. What went wrong? Or what went right? He examines the situations and discovers for himself the why of things. He could be feeling disappointed, determined to do better, and possibly grateful for the little success that happened. Let us look at the parable vis-à-vis our personal life. How have we helped spread the Word of God? Were we ready? Did we help prime ourselves into the time of connecting with the Word? During the times when we were given the chance to take part in the sowing of the seeds, how did we act on it? Were we ready to do our part of proclaiming the Kingdom?

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Lawrence Superan
- Ditas dela Paz, Toots Monfort, Virginia Hernandez, and Fleur Torres
- Joy Droke
- Denise, Debbie, Jo, Gene L, Benny, Donnie M, Herb, Mary Ann M & Fr Larry
… for the personal intentions of
- Frances Marie Gonzalez
- Beny Chua
- Almabelle Abapo
- Jazmine
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Tyrone N. Tang
- Birthday: Ludette L. Herrera
- Birthday: Gloria R. Pe
- Birthday: Nenita S. Hing
- Wedding Anniversary: Rogelio & Edita Salonga
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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